Calling device.



C.L.GO0DRUIII. CALLING DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED DEC-29.1916.

Patented Aug. 28, 1917.

IINITED STATES PATE OFFICE.

CHARLES L. GOODRUM, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR T0 WESTERN ELECTRIC COM PANY, INCORPORATED, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

CALLING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 29, 1916. Serial No. 139,576.

To all whom it may concern: 3

Be it known that I, CHARLES L. GooDRUM, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county of New Yorkand State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Calling Devices, of which the following is a full, 0 ear, concise, and exact description.

This invention relates to calling devices, and particularly to impulse transmitters for automatic or semi-automatic telephone systems.

The general object of the invention is to provide a new and improved impulse trans mitter in connection with which numbers may be employed to indicate the various signals which are made up of a first character taken from one set of characters and the re maining characters taken from another set of characters. For example, such numbers may be used as 0-7361, D-5924, G-6983, etc.

Impulse transmitters have heretofore been used in which two sets of characters are constantly displayed in cooperative relation with each finger hold of the manually opers able member; andwith an impulse transmitter of this kind it is possible to use numbers such as those above mentioned. With such a device, however, owing to the fact that both sets of characters are constantly displayed, confusion and errors are possible. The present invention avoids all chance of such confusion, owing to the fact that the two sets of characters are consecutively and not simultaneously displayed.

An embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of a desk tele phone having the invention embodied there- 1n; and Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the impulse transmitter showing details of its construction, certain portions of the structure being separated and broken away to facilitate illustration.

In Fig. 1, the base 3 and a portion of the standard 4 of an ordinary desk telephone are shown in dot-and-dash lines; and the telephone receiver 5 is similarly shown. The receiver is hung upon the usual switchhook 6 pivotally supported in the standard 4. In addition toperforming its usual functions, said switchhook cooperates with the impulse transmitter, which forms the subject of the signed to the same assignee as the. present.

application. Said mechanism is, therefore, not shown or described herein except so far as it is necessary .to the understanding of.

the present invention. The casing within which the impulse transmitting mechanism is contained is shown at 8. It is to be understood that said mechanism is actuated by the rotation of a shaft 9, and that the number of impulses transmitted is governed by the angular manual rotation of said shaft, as is usual in calling devices of many kinds. The shaft 9 has rigidly secured on the outer end thereof a manually operable member in the form of a dial 10 having finger holds 11, 12, 13, etc, therein. Secured immovably in the casing 8 is a plate 22 having openings 23 therein corresponding in number to the finger holds 11, 12, 13, etc., in the manually operable member 10, and ,so arranged that when the manually operable member is in its normal position said openings are concentric with said finger holds. The shaft 9 passes freely through the plate 22. Behind the plate 22, arranged for limited rotation with reference to it, is a movable member 24 carrying two sets of characters as shown. The shaft 9 also passes freely through the movable member 24, and may serve to support the latter. In its normal position, the alphabetical set of characters on the movable member 24 is displayed through the openings 23 in the plate 22; and in its abnormal position the set of numerical characters is displayed through said openings. The movable member 24 is biased in a counter-clockwise direction by a spring 26 secured to its edge and to the inside of the casing 8, the rotation of the member 24 in that direction being limited by a stop in the form of a pm 27 projecting from the plate 22 and engaging with a lug 28 extending radially from the edge of the member 24.- The movable member 24 is moved to its normal position by the depression of the switchhook 6,

. through the medium of any suitable mechanical connection such as bell crank levers 29 and 30 mounted in the base 3 and the rod 31 extending up through the standard 4 and connecting one end of the lever 30 with the switchhook 6. The movable member 24 is retained in its normal position after the elevation of the switchhook 6 by a pawl 33 which cooperates with a notch in the edge of the member 24. The pawl 33 is mounted upon a shaft 35 which may be journaled in the plate 22 and in a lug 36 extending from the inside of the casing 8. Rigidly secured to the outer end of the shaft 35 is a fingerstop 38 arranged to be engaged by the finger of a person operating the calling device. The movable finger-stop 38 and the pawl 33 are biased to the normal position in which they are shown in Fig. 2 in any suitable manner, as by a spring 40 mounted on the inside of the casing 8 and engaging the side of the pawl 33.

The mode of operation of the calling device just described is as follows: In the normal condition. of the desk telephone and calling device, that is, with the receiver 5 upon the switchhook 6, the parts stand in the relation shown in the drawing. Let us suppose that it is desired to call the number C-7 361. The receiver 5 is first removed from the switchhook 6. The switchhook in rising lifts the rod 31 and rocks the levers 30 and 29 so that the free end of the latter moves a short distance away from the lug .28. The movable member 24 is thus left free to rotate under the influence of the spring 26 except for the fact that it is held by the pawl 33. As hereinbefore explained, the alphabetical characters are displayed through the openings 23 in the plate 22, when the movable member 24 is in this position. The person operating the device is thus enabled to place his finger in the finger hold 13 corresponding to the first character C of the desired number, and will rotate the manually operable member 10 in a clockwise direction until his finger is stopped in its movement by engagement with the movable stop 38 after the latter has been moved to its extreme abnormal position. The person will then release the manually operable member 10, and it will return to its normal position in the usual manner, during which time the impulse transmitting mechanism will send the impulses corresponding in number to the character C. The movement of the movable stop 38, in the manner just gages the pin 27. In this new position of the movable member 24, the numerical characters thereon will be displayed through the openings 23 in the plate 22 instead of the alphabetical characters. The remaining characters 7361 may then be sent in the usual manner by successive actuations of the manually operable member 10 through the medium of a finger inserted in the finger hold corresponding to the character for which it is desired to send current impulses. When the receiver 5 is restored to the switchhook 6, the rod 31 is moved downwardly with the consequent rotation of the levers 30 and 29, and the end of the latter by engaging the lug 28 will restore the movable member 24 to its normal position where it will be held by the dog 33. The alphabetical set of characters is then again displayed,

through the openings 23 in the plate 22, and the calling device is ready to call a new number. 7

While the invention is herein described as embodied in certain details of construction, it will be understood that these may be varied in many respects without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In an impulse transmitter, a manually operable member having finger holds, a member carrying two sets of characters each set being adapted to cooperate se arately with said finger holds, and means or causing successive display of said characters in connection with said finger holds.

2. In an impulse transmitter, a manually operable member having finger holds, a member carrying two sets of characters each set being adapted to cotiperate separately with said finger holds, a plate having openings therein through which either set of characters may be displayed, and means for moving said member and plate with reference to one another for causing successive display of said characters in connection with said finger holds.

3. In an impulse transmitter, a manually operable member having finger holds, a movable member carrying two sets of characters, a fixed plate having openings therein through which either set of characters may be displayed in connection with said finger holds, means for shifting said movable member from the position in which one set of characters is displayed to the position in which the other set is displayed, and means for restoring said movable member to its normal position.

4. In an impulse transmitter, a manually operable member having finger holds, a movable member carrying two sets of characters, a fixed plate having openings therein through which either set of characters may be displayed in connection with said finger holds, means operated by the initial actuation of the manually operable member for shifting said movable member from the position in which one set of characters is displayed to the position in which the other set is displayed, and means for restoring said movable member to its original position.

5. In an impulse transmitter, a manually operable member having finger holds, a movable stop in cooperative relation to said finger holds, a movable member. carrying two sets of characters, a fixed plate having openings through which either set of characters may be displayed in connection with said finger holds, means controlled by said movable stop for shifting said movable member from the position in which one set of characters is displayed to the position in which the other set is displayed, and means for restoring said movable member to its original position.

6. The combination of a telephone instru ment having a receiver switchhook and an impulse transmitter having amanually operable member provided with finger holds, a movable member carrying two sets of characters, a plate having openings therein through which either set of characters may be displayed in connection with said finger holds, a movable finger-stop arranged in cooperative relation to said finger holds, means controlled by said movable finger stop for shifting said movable member from the position in which one set of characters is visible to the position in which the other set of characters is visible through the openings in said plate, and means actuated by the depression of the switchhook for restoring said movable member to its original position.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 28th day of December A. D., 1916.

CHARLES L. GOODRUM. 

